'Underground railroad' saves pups

‘Underground railroad’ saves pups

‘Underground railroad’ saves pups
Rescue workers join forces, protect about 15 dogs a week

updated 3:27 p.m. ET, Wed., April 14, 2010

With the help of the Internet, some kind drivers and a lot of gasoline, shelter dogs are getting a new start. Spared from being euthanized at a kill shelter, thousands of dogs have gone from death row to safe havens by traveling hundreds of miles in a journey that starts in the South and the Midwest and usually ends in Canada.

Called the Doggie Underground Railroad, it works thanks to the efforts of Open Arms Pound Rescue and its network of volunteers, pounds, foster homes and e-mail lists that an average of 15 dogs per week have been rescued since 2007.

One steady volunteer that has been there since the start is Bill Bretz, a retired history teacher who drives the 100-mile leg from Cincinnati to Columbus almost every weekend along with his wife Karen. He dubbed the transport effort the Doggie Underground Railroad after seeing a rather uncanny resemblance to the Underground Railroad of the 18th century.

"It follows almost the same routes as the Underground Railroad, and we're moving dogs from death to freedom," Bretz tells PEOPLEPets.com.

Debra Farrell, one of Open Arms Pound Rescue's co-founders, started working in animal rescue in 1998. She and her partner, Lucy Moy, realized that the lack of funding for transportation necessitated a large network of volunteers, which now numbers in the thousands.

"There's not government grants available to purchase vehicles or hire drivers," Farrell says. "When you are moving that many dogs to various locations, you need volunteer transporters who devote their time to moving these dogs from where their lives are soon to be non-existent."

Farrell and Moy started an e-mail listserv, and each week, they promote the dogs that needed rescue. They describe the routes that the dogs needed to take to get to safety, and members of the network respond when and if they can help with various legs of the journey. Some trips can involve as many as 20 dogs, traveling in convoys of three or four cars.

At the end of the trip, when the dogs arrive safely, the trip coordinator e-mails the list with a recap.

"On Sunday, the last day of the runs, our e-mail is clogged with stuff," Bretz says. "It makes you feel good to see the dog you helped get to his new home."

Read more: ‘Underground railroad’ saves thousands of dogs